MIDSTATE >> Local police officers and caseworkers are learning how to calm a crisis brought on by a person's mental illness or substance abuse.

Franklin and Fulton County commissioners have initiated programs to help authorities identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illness.

The aim is to reduce the number of people with mental illness in jails, according to county officials.

Participants in the Mental Health First Aid program learn a five-step action plan to assess a situation, select and implement interventions and secure appropriate care. The certification program also introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems and builds understanding of their impact. It overviews disorders and common treatments.

Mental Health sponsored six sessions this past year in Franklin County, according to Assistant County Administrator Carrie Gray. The 8-hour program was offered to educators, mental health providers, criminal justice authorities, healthcare staff and churches.

Fulton County is offering the training to members of probation, sheriff, children's services and domestic relations departments.

"Fulton County is striving to keep the mentally ill out of prison, and guide them to appropriate treatment instead," said Chief Clerk Sarah Duvall, a mental health first aid instructor. Fulton commissioners sent Duvall to a grant-funded instructor certification course in Fort Indiantown Gap.

Franklin County also has implemented a Crisis Intervention Team, based on the nationally recognized Memphis Police Department CIT program, according to Gray.

Law enforcement works with mental health and advocacy groups to avoid death, injury and tragedy she said. Participants learn to recognize the signs of psychiatric distress and how to de-escalate a crisis.

"CIT is a pre-jail diversion program that directs individuals with mental illness away from the criminal justice system and into treatment where they can be better served," Gray said. "To date we have held three CIT trainings and have 41 members with nineteen of them representing law enforcement."

A team is comprised of uniformed patrol officers, first responders, corrections officers and other law enforcement

Professionals from mental health and law enforcement volunteer their time to provide 40-hours of training at no charge to Franklin County police departments and first responders. They teach how to effectively intervene with people who have serious mental illness and drug and alcohol issues, and who are in crisis.